WDFW Social Media Comment Policy

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) uses social media platforms to tell great stories, connect more deeply with our audiences, and reach a wider audience, providing more opportunities for civic engagement.

Platforms with Comments Open

It is the position of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that the following Social Media Platforms should be used for two-way communication with the public and are subject to the Social Media Policy below:

X/Twitter - www.twitter.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com

Comments are not pre-moderated on most platforms and will be immediately released into the public domain. We respect different opinions and intend for our social media platforms to foster thoughtful and respectful conversation. This means that while WDFW does not discriminate against any views, we reserve the right to remove comments if they violate our social media commenting policy.

Comments on WDFW social media sites will be removed at the discretion of the Department, for any of the following reasons: If the comments are not topically related to the content of WDFW’s original post; express support or opposition to political parties, campaigns or ballot measures; include profane or obscene language or images including vulgar, offensive, threatening, harassing, or personal attacking language; conduct or promote non-WDFW commercial products or business; express discrimination based on legally protected status such as race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation; promote illegal activity or activities that may be illegal based on a viewer’s status (such as age); compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; transmit protected or private information; violate a legal ownership interest of any party including copyright and trademark; contain links or hashtags to sites that violate these restrictions including hyperlinks to material not directly related to WDFW’s original post; and/or contain symbols, numbers, and letters to circumvent any of the above. 

Posts to WDFW’s social media accounts, including but not limited to comments, are not the proper forum for providing WDFW with legal notice, submitting petitions or other forms, submitting public comments for official comment periods (such as rule making and SEPA), or for submitting public records requests under the Public Records Act, RCW 42.56. Please see WAC 220-120 for proper submission of public records requests.

Comments should not contain private information.  Any comments received on social media are considered a public record.

Platforms with Comments Closed

It is the position of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that the following Social Media Platforms should be used for one-way communication with the public and comments are not being accepted on the following Social Media Platforms:

Facebook - www.facebook.com

YouTube - www.youtube.com

It is the position of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) that the above Social Media Platforms will be used for the one-way dissemination of information and alerts to the public. 

Platforms with Comments Open but Moderated by the Social Media Provider

It is the position of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that the following Social Media Platforms should be used for two-way communication with the public and are subject to the Social Media Policy below:

Nextdoor - www.nextdoor.com

Comments are not pre-moderated on most platforms and will be immediately released into the public domain. We respect different opinions and intend for our social media platforms to foster thoughtful and respectful conversation. 
Comments on the above social media sites are not moderated by WDFW.  All comments will be subject to that social media site’s community and/or content guidelines and will be moderated by that provider.  WDFW encourages individuals to familiarize themselves with the social media site’s relevant policies before posting.  

WDFW will flag comments for moderation for any of the following reasons: If the comments are not topically related to the content of WDFW’s original post; express support or opposition to political parties, campaigns or ballot measures; include profane or obscene language or images including vulgar, offensive, threatening, harassing, or personal attacking language; conduct or promote non-WDFW commercial products or business; express discrimination based on legally protected status such as race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation; promote illegal activity or activities that may be illegal based on a viewer’s status (such as age); compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; transmit protected or private information; violate a legal ownership interest of any party including copyright and trademark; contain links or hashtags to sites that violate these restrictions including hyperlinks to material not directly related to WDFW’s original post; and/or contain symbols, numbers, and letters to circumvent any of the above. 

Posts to WDFW’s social media accounts, including but not limited to comments, are not the proper forum for providing WDFW with legal notice, submitting petitions or other forms, submitting public comments for official comment periods (such as rule making and SEPA), or for submitting public records requests under the Public Records Act, RCW 42.56. Please see WAC 220-120 for proper submission of public records requests.

Comments should not contain private information.  Any comments received on social media are considered a public record.

Other ways to engage with WDFW

If you have questions or comments to relay to WDFW, please use the following opportunities: